3 dead, 4 injured when apartment house collapses in Poland

The Associated Press

Published 10:25 am, Saturday, April 8, 2017

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Rescuers and firefighters search for 11 missing people in the rubble of an apartment house that collapsed in Swiebodzice, Poland, on Saturday, April 8, 2017. Firefighters suspect the collapse might have been caused by a gas explosion. Several people were killed and injured. less

Rescuers and firefighters search for 11 missing people in the rubble of an apartment house that collapsed in Swiebodzice, Poland, on Saturday, April 8, 2017. Firefighters suspect the collapse might have been ... more

Photo: AP Photo

3 dead, 4 injured when apartment house collapses in Poland

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WARSAW, Poland >> Three people were killed and four were injured when an apartment house collapsed in southwestern Poland, and rescuers were working to account for five others, authorities said Saturday.

Regional governor Pawel Hreniak said the search and rescue operation was expected to continue through Sunday.

Daniel Mucha, spokesman for firefighters in the city of Wroclaw, said the collapse occurred early Saturday in the town of Swiebodzice (Shvyeh-’boh-tchi-tseh). He said the collapse of two floors of the building might have been caused by a gas explosion. The injured were taken to hospitals in Swiebodzice and in Wroclaw.

Head of medical rescuers, Wojciech Kopacki, said two of the dead were schoolchildren.

Mucha said that 23 units of firefighters and dogs were searching the rubble.

The governor of Swiebodzice, Bogdan Kozuchowicz, said the pre-World War II building was recently renovated and had been in good technical condition.

TVN24 live footage showed rescuers in helmets searching through bricks and broken wood.